Receptacle-closure.



PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908.

G. J. KIRBY. REGEPTACLE CLOSURE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1905.

$11 wanton attomu f PA nn r GEORGE}; KIRBY, or WILLIMANTIC, CONNECTICUT.

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Specification'of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

Application filed'March 22,- 1905. Serial No. 251,518.

To all whom 'it may concern;-

Be it known that I, GEORGE 'Jv KIR-BY, .a'

citizen of the United States, residing at VVillirmantic, in the county of Windham and State of Connecticut, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Receptacle- Closures and I do hereby declare the followmg to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others. skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in closures for receptacles and particularly to closures for eye-glass cases.

V The object inview is the provision of means for maintaining a closure in a closed condition under a spring tension and, when opened, for maintaining said closure in an open condition. This and other objects are attained by the present invention which involves certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter .fully. described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of an eye-glass case provided with an embodiment of the present invention, the lid of the casev being illustrated in an open condition. Fig. 2-represents a transverse, vertical, central section taken through the part seen in Fig. 1, thc'lid being illustrated as closed.

It hasheretofore been proposed to retain the lid of an eye-glass case in either an open or closed condition by the use of a laterally acting spring, that is a spring whose expansion and contraction acts side-wise with respect to itself, but by the present invention I propose to utilize a longitudinally acting spring, or a spring whose contraction longitudinally acts directly upon the parts with which said spring contacts, this action obviating the frictional wear found to, occur in connection with the laterally acting spring.

For an understanding of the present invention an embodiment of the same in detail is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which, 1 indicates the body portion of a receptacle provided with a lid or closure 2 pivoted to the edge of the receptacle by a series of eyes 33 formed from the body of the lid 2, eyes 4+4, formed from the body of the receptacle 1 and interposed between the eyes 3, and pintles 55 connecting said eyes. Of course, as far as the present invention is concerned, the receptacle and lid may be of gany type whatever and the hinge connection th'erebetween may be of any referred type, but my invention is particular y well adapted for use in eye-glass cases and I have therefore illustrated an eye-glass case in connection with the invention. i

The case or receptacle 1 is formed with a preferably relatively long eye 6 disposed below the plane of the eyes 3 and 4 and through said eye is projected the shank 7 of a spring 8 said spring being preferably made somewhat S-shaped and. having its opposite-shank 9 extended through a loop or eye 10 formed of the material of the lid or closure 2. Of course the spring 8 may be given any desired num-' ber of convolutions and may be made of anv required size and is applied in such manner that the shanks 7 and 9 are at all times given an inclination toward approaching each other. In other words, the spring 8 is expanded, when applied, in order that the shanks '7 and 9 may be positioned as'illustrated, and the contracting action of said spring 8 is longitudinally with respect to itself and transversely of and at right an les to the line of.

pivotal connection of the lid or OlOSllIe'Q. with I the receptacle or case 1. The positioning of the shank 7 below the line of the pivotal connection of the lid and receptacle caaises the: spring 8 to be expanded in an effort either to close or open the lid '2, so that said lid will re"- der the action of the spring 8 after having been once positioned and said lid will further resist being opened or closed and if freed a closed or opened condition according to whether the lid is passed the central line of the pivot.

In the embodiment of the invention illus trated, the employment of the longitudinally acting spring pivotally engaging the con'' cle 1, said spring lying in contact with the main in either a closed or open condition unwhen in a semi-open condition will spring to inner face ofthe cover both in opened and closed position. I

From the foregoing, and from the drawings, it will be observed that the spring employed is provided withv straight end portions and intermediate portions bent for pro- I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2- 1. In a receptacle, the combination with a body portion, and a lid therefor, of a spring having its end portions parallel and its inter mediate portion bent longitudinally, the said intermediate portion lying within the longitudinalplane of the spring occupied by the end portions, one of said end portions being pivotally connected. to said body portion and the other of said end portions being pivotally connected to the lid. p

2. In a receptacle, the combination with. a body portion, of a lid pivotally connected therewith, an $-shaped spring elastic longitudinally of the body of the 33, said spring being substantially flat and the ends thereof pivotally engaging the body portion and lid respectively, and the said spring being positioned for lying snugly against the contiguous parts of the lid. when at the extreme of the movement of the lid.

3. In a receptacle, the combination with a body portion and a lid pivotally connectedtherewith, of a longitudinally acting spring pivotally engaging said body portion at a relatively short distance below the line of pivotal connection of the bodyportion with F the-lid, said spring also pivotally engaging said lid at a point a relatively great distance across the width of the lid and above the pivs etal connection between thelid and body portion, substantially the entire spring lying in contact with the under surface of the lid.

.4. A spring lid case comprising a main body, a lid, a hinge connecting said lid to said body, a fastening device connected to said body below the pintle of the hinge, an other fastening device connected to the lid, and a spring one end of which is held by the said fastening device on the body, the other end held by the said fastening device on the lid, the said ends of the spring being integralwith an intermediate member bent from the ends of the spring and disposed in a plane ,ess

therewith and held substantially parallel with hinge, substantially as described.

5. A spring lid case comprising a main body, a lid, a hinge connecting said lid to the body, and a s )ring having a plica'ted intermediate inem er and two outer members :member being: provided with a single eye having an extended internal bearing, the

eyes being parallel to the hinge and arranged to be intersected at corresponding points by a plane perpendicular to the hinge, of a" spring having parallel portionsjournaled in said eyes, and an inclined connecting portion joining said parallel portions.

. 7. The combination with a case comprising two members connected by a hinge, each member provided with a single, integral eye at the same distance from an end of the case as the eye of the other member, of a spring".

consisting of a piece of wire bent into a sinuous form having end portions lying side by side in the same plane journaled in said eyes, and an inclined resilient intermediate portion joining the end portions by "bends of relatively large radius.

.8. The combination with a case CGIIIPI'lS'. ing two members longitudinally hinged to gether, of a spring formed with end portions and an intermediate portion lying all in a. single plane side by side and being substan-- tially co-extensive in length, and an eye formed. on each of the case members inthe same plane perpendicular to the hinge, the

end portions of the spring being loosely j ournaled in the eyes and arranged to reduce a pull directly perpendicular to the inge be-' tween the members. i a In testin'iony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- GEORGE J. KIRBY. Witnesses:

-LUTI-IER L. APPLE,

EDGAR M. KIT HIN. 

